- West Raleigh outscored the opposition by a cumulative total of 49-12, slightly off last weekend's pace of 64-11.
- West Raleigh outhit the opposition by a cumulative total of 64-27, slightly off last weekend's pace of 77-29.
- Part of the offensive dip was due to a different set of rules. The first weekend's tournament was Top Gun, which meant all games went the full six innings. But this weekend's tournament was AAU, so 8U Blue played just eight total innings on Saturday (rather than the full 12). But part of the offensive dip was also due to better defenses faced on Sunday and a handful of popups rather than line drives--a trend that was worked on in practice Monday night at TPA (while it poured rain outside, making it very nice to have the indoor facility).
- West Raleigh didn't have a game in Clemmons in which every batter recorded a hit. There were just two three-hit games by individuals.
- The percentage of working scoreboards in Clemmons (100%) was greater by approximately 100% than anywhere else 8U Blue has ever played before.
- Overall, 8U Blue hitters had a cumulative batting average of .560 in Clemmons, up from the first weekend's .550. The team slugging percentage, however, decreased from .714 in Cary to .707 in Clemmons.
- The four scoreless innings in the game against the DC Bomb Squad on Sunday were equal to the total number of scoreless innings in last weekend's tournament in Cary. Overall, 8U Blue had eight scoreless innings in Clemmons.
- Defense was inconsistent. 8U Blue committed just one error in the two games on Saturday. But on Sunday, seven errors were made in the two games. That made the weekend total of eight equal to last weekend's total.
Let's take a look at the points of emphasis we listed last week to see how the results looked this weekend:
1. Decrease the errors and have zero innings with multiple errors.Still needs some work. The total errors did not decrease and there were two innings with multiple errors.
2. Put the ball in play in every at-bat.Almost. Even with the machine firing the ball high on occasion, there was just one strikeout in 116 at-bats.
3. Zero scoreless innings.This is going to be a tough one to ever achieve, but it didn't happen in Clemmons.
4. Get more comfortable with aggressive baserunning.This one can be checked off the list. 8U Blue even got a compliment from the field umpire on Saturday, who was impressed with their baserunning. Taking the extra base was big in the win over the Bomb Squad, as during the fourth-inning rally, six different hitters turned what would've been a one-base hit into at least two bases with their hustle on the basepaths.
5. Increase funds for Coach Regan's salary.Now that she is also a math tutor, she's pretty much guaranteed we'll never be able to pay her what she is worth.
So, with two tournaments completed, here's a look at some points of emphasis for the Wilmington tournament this weekend:
- More consistent outfield play, especially on ground balls and line drives to the outfield. 8U Blue has played very well on fly balls so far and will continue to work on one-hoppers and rounding into balls in the gap.
- Increase the team batting average from .560 in Clemmons to at least .575 in Wilmington. The plan to do this began last night at TPA, with a focus on not pulling off the ball and hitting straight through it to produce line drives rather than pop flies.
- Decrease the errors and have zero innings with multiple errors. This is a carryover from last weekend.
- Put the ball in play in every at-bat. The big barrel bats are permanently put away now, so everyone can get comfortable with the bats they'll be using in Cal Ripken play.
- Zero scoreless innings. It's good to have high goals, right?
The Wilmington tournament schedule will hopefully be out by Wednesday evening. The team has practice at West Raleigh on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights at West Raleigh. All those practices are from 6-8 p.m., starting in the cage from 6-6:30.
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